China’s quest for gold medals at the Beijing Winter Olympics has been one filled with drama.
Two out of three golds so far have come …
China’s quest for gold medals at the Beijing Winter Olympics has been one filled with drama. Two out of three golds so far have come from the short track speed skating. Both wins came about from post-race reviews in favor of China, sparking protest from aggrieved players, as well as accusations of referee favoritism for the host country. Over the weekend, team China nearly came last during the mixed relay semifinals, and would have missed the final altogether. The players only advanced after the United States and Russia, which finished second and third place respectively during the semifinal, were disqualified for obstruction after a lengthy official review, leaving the teams to unpack what happened. “The call came to me, on what I did,” said U.S. skater Ryan Pivirotto, who was identified as being responsible for the infraction, afterward. A skating official said that Piviorotto had illegally crossed into the track from the infield while preparing to tap on, blocking a Chinese skater. “I don’t even know really what I did, because there was no contact,” Piviorotto said. South Korean speed skater Kwak Yoon-gy, who watched the race, said that he found it difficult to accept the call to penalize the two countries while suggesting that China had received favorable treatment as the host country. “Looking at the way China won the gold medal, I felt bad that my younger teammates had to watch something like that,” the 32-year-old told Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency. “I thought to myself: ‘Is this really what winning a gold medal is all about?’ Things all just felt very hollow.” “If it had been any other country than China in that situation, I wondered if that team would still have been allowed to reach the final like that?” he said, adding that he was left with a sense of injustice.
